Parasite
by MaryCamille
Summary: Dean and Sam Winchester join Jeb's rebel colony in Arizona and, in a tense moment, realize that Souls are living amongst them there. (Rated T for brief language.)


My first writing for_ The Host_ outside of role-playing. Sorry if this is a bit rushed, but the idea came to me pretty late at night. Still considering making this multi-chapter. We'll have to see! Enjoy.

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Dean and Sam Winchester had been with Jeb's colony for a few days now. They joined in on the chores almost immediately, doing their fair share around the caves. They worked the fields, toted heavy things around, and ate like they'd never seen food before. But food was running out quickly now, and the raid party hadn't returned. It had been two and a half weeks since they'd left, five days since Dean and Sam had come. The people of the ever-growing resistance were back to watery soups and tasteless vegetables now, like the days when Wanderer had first come. The new guests hadn't been too pleased with the food, but they had taken it gratefully at the ends of the long, hot days.

Just after dinner on Wednesday, the raid party returned with boxes upon boxes of food - junk food, healthy food… _food_ - and members of the community were unloading them, carrying them through the tunnels. The returning rebels introduced themselves to the newer ones as they walked side-by-side with boxes in their hands. Jared, Ian, Wanda, Melanie, Brandt, Kyle, Sunny. Enough names to make Dean and Sam's heads spin. They would most likely be asking them to repeat their names for the next few days as they all resettled.

Laughter, joking tones, and friendly conversation could all be heard echoing through the tunnels. It didn't take long to fill the cave used as a storage room, and people headed back towards the kitchen to eat a late dinner, bags of chips and dip and other random food items in their hands.

Dean was preoccupied as he re-organized a few boxes with the help of the small blonde he'd struggled to remember was named Wanda. She was kind enough, with a bright smile and a seemingly permanent blush on her cheeks. He wasn't exactly sure how old she was, however; she looked as if she could be seventeen, possibly fifteen from the right angle. He didn't dare ask her to clarify, though - he knew how women reacted to that question.

Sam was close behind Dean, one of the last boxes in his hands, conversing with Jared. The two seemed to get along well enough. Their personalities seemed similar in a way - both of them battle-hardened, but truly kind if one took the time to understand what they'd seen.

Dean struggled to fit his shoulders into a small space to fit a box into the storage room, and Wanda perked up when she realized his troubles. "Oh!" she giggled. "Oh, I can get that. I'm good at these things." She climbed up onto the boxes easily, taking the one from Dean's hands so that she could squeeze into the tight space. Wanda frowned, however, when she realized that she couldn't see. "Could you get that flashlight over there, Dean? Shine it in here, please," she asked, her voice kind and silvery.

"No problem," Dean smiled, doing as he was asked. He clicked the beam on and shined the light into the hole so that Wanda could see.

It was amazing how quickly Dean Winchester's face could go from a grin to a hostile grimace. It was even more impressive how quickly the brothers had their guns pulled and aimed at Wanda - faster than she was even able to draw in a quick breath, a gasp.

Everything had been perfectly fine until the moment Wanderer's eyes had reflected the beam of light back at Dean. Apparently, Sam had been watching, too.

Boxes were left on the floor, forgotten completely, the food tumbled out of them.

"Drop the guns, guys," Jared ordered, his voice steely. When nothing changed, his arms moved to trap Sam's with lightning speed. He pinned them behind the taller man, and the grunts and heavy breaths of a struggle echoed in the hallway. Sam threw his elbow backwards and caught Jared in the gut, but Jared simply grimaced and held him tighter. "Ian!" he called, his voice booming.

Dean's gun was still trained on the alien in the small cave. Her entire frame shook, eyes wide and brimming with scared tears. She whimpered as Dean moved to pull the hammer back on the gun. Disgust flooded through Dean at the sight of her trembling so violently. She was playing a victim card - trying to escape her inevitable fate.

And then there was an unnervingly calm voice directly behind Dean. Dean's jaw tightened at the sound, but his eyes never moved. "I think you heard Howe. Put the gun down. _Now_."

He'd introduced himself as Ian, hadn't he? Ian O'Shea. Dean remembered that much. Ian had seemed fairly intelligent, up until now. They'd been harboring an alien and had been completely oblivious. That, or they'd all been fooled.

"She's one of them," Dean growled, lifting the gun a little higher so that it was aimed at the center of her forehead. He watched as two tears streaked their way down her cheeks, glistening in the light that the flashlight gave off.

"She's one of _us_," Ian replied coldly. He hadn't taken too well to Dean's assessment of the creature, it seemed.

"What other human do you know that has reflective eyes? Those are some pretty nice contacts you've got there, sweetheart," Dean addressed her, sarcasm thick in his tone. The alien did not reply.

Ian laughed. "Never said she was human, friend. But she's with us. And last I checked, you're Jeb's guest here."

"I didn't realize you were all stupid enough to fall for shit like this," Dean said bitterly. "Let me show you what's supposed to happen between humans and parasites." He lifted the gun again and a sob broke past the alien's lips. Before he could pull the trigger, however, Ian overpowered him. In a flash, the gun was in Ian's hands. He was standing in front of the blonde, his posture protective, the gun aimed at Dean.

"Dean!" Sam struggled in Jared's grasp, but an unexpected blow to his temple knocked him out cold, and he crumpled to the floor. Kyle O'Shea stood over him, next to Jared, Jeb's rifle in his hands. The butt of the gun had been used as a blunt weapon. Dean wasn't sure when the man had joined the small group - he'd come quietly, unnoticed.

"Ian!" Wanda cried. She scrambled out from her small space, tiny hands gripping the arm of the much larger man in front of her. "Oh, Ian! Don't hurt him!"

Dean felt bile rising in his stomach, eating away. A parasite, an alien, protecting him? Saving his life? He'd rather die.

"He was surprised! It should have been explained to him before. It's my fault, I didn't know. Oh, please, Ian, don't hurt him. Put the gun down. We'll just talk. We'll explain."

The way Ian seemed to soften where the alien touched him was repulsive. How kind his eyes became when he looked down at her briefly made Dean gag. This girl was truly the most deceptive, most dangerous Soul he had ever come across.

The parasite flinched at the sound of another gun being cocked, behind Dean this time. Kyle lifted the gun, aiming it at the newcomer. Jared moved to stand behind Dean, prepared and ready to grab him if needed. Sam still lay unconscious on the ground.

Minutes passed in tense silence, only broken occasionally by a quiet, "Please," directed at Ian and coming from the seemingly-harmless blonde.

Finally, Ian lowered Dean's gun. Much to Dean's dislike, Ian tucked it into his own waistband. Kyle lowered the gun he held and Jared relaxed slightly behind Dean. "Her name is Wanderer, and you will call her _Wanda_. Nothing else. The second I hear that you've touched her or spoken a hostile word to her, I'll put a bullet in your head."

The alien - Wanda - didn't like that. "Ian," she gasped quietly. Dean watched as Ian lifted his hand to silence her. At least she knew her place enough to become silent again.

There was a cold, steely silence between Ian and Dean for a long moment, and Ian finally moved to touch Wanderer's arm. He began to move, then, shielding her as he walked, exiting the room. With a parting glare, he escorted the petite girl out of the small, dark area.

"Jeb doesn't take too kindly to people trying to kill Wanda," Kyle informed Dean. "We all learned that the hard way. Probably best not to try it again."

With that, Jared and Kyle both turned and exited the room, leaving Dean alone with his now-stirring brother.

_A parasite sleeping in Ian's bed_, Dean thought, heavily repulsed. Hopefully, it wouldn't take him long to show them how wrong they were about her.


End file.
